Apparatus for printing prepaid postage.



J. vLERLNFIE.

APPARATUS POR PRINTNG PREPAID POSTAGB.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1912.

1,1 14,893. Patented 0015.27, 1914.

Inventor itnesses Attorneys APPARATUS FOR PRINTING PREPAID POSTAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application led January24, 1912.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914., serial No. 673,244.

T0 all 207mmit may Concern Be it known that I, JULIUs Leiterin,Kniglicher Baurat, a subject of the German Emperor, and residing at 14Arndtstrasse, Steglitz, near Berlin, Prussia, Germany, have invented newand useful Improvements in Apparatus for Printing Prepaid Postage Havingthe Inking and Cleaning Devices Arranged Outside, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to a simple apparatus for printing stamps orother indications of postage on postal packages, and is designed to beused by those having large quantities of mail to send out: as by meansof this apparatus the stamping of letters and packages is expedited andthe slow tiresome task of applying gummed-stamps to mail matter avoided.

The invention comprises a tight casing containing a cylinder on which isa raised block for printing the stamps or other impression, capable ofbeing rotated by hand or power. In one side of the casing adjacent thecylinder is a passage way through which the letters and packages to bemarked are fed. Suitable counting mechanism is connected to the cylinderor the shaft for the purpose of registering the amount of matterstamped. Exterior of the casing containing the printing cylinder is anink roller on one side and a rotary cleaning` brush on the other, eachcarried in a housing hinged on the casing. the roller and brush eachprojecting through an opening in the casing to engage the stampingblock. Means are provided to prevent the inking roller and cleaningbrush being moved to uncover the printing cylinder except at such timesas the stamping block on the printing cylinder is fully covered by thecasing and at a distance from the openings therein through whichopenings said inking roller and brush project, thus preventing any onetampering .with the block and printing therefrom without registering theimpression.

In connection with theprinting cylinder one or more counterpressurerollers may be employed and as these rollers run close to or in contactwith the printing cylinder through an opening in the casing a-housingmust be provided for the counterpressure rollers to prevent theirremoval while the stamping block is in position to be tampered with.Suitable locking means also provided for the housing of thecounterpressure rollers to permit its removal from the casing only whenthe stamp block has been turned away from the opening through which thecounter-pressure rollers project.

To more clearly set forth the invention attention is directed to theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus in its simplest formwith the counterpressure rollers omitted. F ig. 2 is a similar viewthrough a foi-m of the apparatus showing' yone counterprcssure roller.its l1ousing,"and locking means therefor ditfering from that shown inFig. l, the ink-r ing roller and cleaning brush being omitted.

In the drawing. A is a tight casing. at one side of which is apassage-way B eX- tending through the casing through which letters andother postal packages to be stamped are passed. Between the interior ofthe easing and the passage way is an opening C to permit a stampingblock c on a revolublescylinder g to project and print a stamp on theletter or package within the passage-way. The cylinder g is mounted on ashaft which may be rotated by hand or power as desired. l

`On opposite sides of the casing A are housings if, afl hingedrespectively at c. r to the casing in such manner as to swing outwardlytherefrom as indicated in dotted lines. Tithin one of the housings isrotatablymounted an inking roller 7) projecting through an ope-ning 1'.in the casing in position to bear on the printing block c as thecylinder rotates, while in the other housing d is pivotally mounted acylindrical brush a which projects through an opening z" in the casingand which may be rotated for the purpose of cleaning 4the stamp blockwhen the latter is brought around in suitable position. Extendinginwardly toward the cylinder g from the pivots e, e are fingers j', ftheir free ends lying normally close to the periphery of said cylinderin position to enter slots it, /z formed therein. or in a flange on thecylinder, when saidy slots are. in the course of rotation of thecylinder brought into register with the fingers. h, t are so positionedwith relation to the stamp block c that they register therewith onlywhen the stamp block is in position to yproject through the opening cfor the purpose of printing or when in a dianietrically oppositeposition as shown in the drawing. When in such position either thehousing CZ or Z with its inking roller b or cleaning brush a may beswung away from the casing as shown in dotted lines for the purpose oreinking the roller b cleaning the same, or cleaning the brush a suchmovement exposing the openings i, z'", through which, were the cylinderg permitted to rotate freely, the stamp block could be reached by movingthe cylinder to bring said block opposite either of said openings, andany number of impressions taken therefrom upon letters or other postalpackages without rotating the cylinder and consequently or registeringthe impression. The parts, however, are so arranged that the momenteither housing is swung away from the casing A, however slight, therespective fingers f, f will enter the slots h, h in the cylinder andlock the .same in safe position against rotation, said cylinder.remaining locked untilthe housings are closed tightly against thecasing and the openings i, i securely closed. -Movement of the cylinderin either direction a short distance beyond the position of safety shownwill carry the slots h, h out of register with the fingers f, f so thatany attempt to swing the housings away l from the casing and uncover theopenings t', i will be prevented by the fingers f, f striking thenonslotted portion of the cylin'- der.

1t is often'desirable to use counterpressure rollers for holding themail matter against the printing cylinder for which purpose acounterpressure roller a is shown in Fig. 2 mounted within an extensionA of the cas- `ing A. on the opposite side of thepassagelway B intowhich passage-way the counter- Vpressure roller extends intocloseproximity to the printing roller g with its stamp block o.

rlhe casing extension containing the counterpressure roller is closed toprevent said roller being removed and leavingV the opening through whichit projects uncovered and free for malicious persons tampering with thestamp block or taking unregistered imdesirable for pressions therefrom.It 1s often, however, various reasons to remove the counterpressureroller and for this purpose a housing Z2 isv hinged at e2 A andinterlocking'means are provided to prevent said housing being openedwhen the stampv block is in position to be tampered with. Thisinterlocking mechanism` comprises a lever o 'hinged to the casingeXtension Aat b2 having on its inner` end a nger t2 adapted to enter anotch h2 in the These slots without counting closed casing on the casingroller. Vhen in this position the printing roller may be turnedindefinitely, the finger f jc passing behind the stop f2 holds thehousing Z2 closely over the counterpressure roller a. lVhen, however,the lever b is raised to throw the finger z'2 into the notch h2 theother finger k will be raised above the stop f2 and the housing Z2 maythen be swung outwardly on its pivot b2 as is evident.

lhat 1 claim is:

l. An apparatus for printing prepaid postage stamps on packagescomprising a having a passage-way on one side for the package to bestamped, a revoluble cylinder having a slot in its periphery andcarrying a printing block, mounted within said casing, a housing hingedon said casing to swing away from the same, and a swinging armadapted toenter sai slot in the printing cylinder when the latter is in apredetermined position and lock the cylinder against rotation, thehousing being free at said time to swing, said arm holding lthe housingimmovable against said casing closed casing having a passage-way on onel side for the package to be stamped, a revoluble printing cylinderwithin said casing,

a housing hinged on said casing to swing away from the same and an armprojecting from the pivot of said housing toward said cylinder tointerlock with the same and prevent rotation of the cylinder when' thehousing is free to swing and to lock said housing closed when thecylinder is free to rotate.

3. An apparatus for printing prepaid postage stamps on packagescomprising a closed casing having a passage-way at one side for thepackage to be stamped and a small opening on another side, a revolubleprinting cylinder within said casing provided with a peripheral printingblock, a vrotating member mounted in a housing hinged on the exterior ofsaid casing to close over said small opening and project the memberthrough 'the same into position to Contact with said printing block asit rotates, and means carried by said housing to interlock with saidcylinder and prevent rotation thereof when the housing is free to swingand to lock said housing closed when the cylinder is free to rotate.

postage stamps on packages comprising a L 4. An apparatus for, printingprepaid closed casing havingl a passageway on one the passage-waythrough which the postal 15 side for the package to he stamped andpackages are fed, and interlocking means openings through two othersides, a revolubetween the several housings and the print-l bie printingcylinder within said casing ing cylinder to prevent rotation thereoprovided with a peripheral printing block, when either of said housingsis free to swing an inking roller pivotally mounted in a and to locksaid housings closed when the 20 housing hinged on the exterior of saidcascylinder is free to rotate.

ing to close over one of said openings and In testimony whereof I heretoaiix my project the roller through the same into, signature in thepresence of two witnesses. position to contact with said printing blockas it rotates, a cleaning brush also contained p i C IUS LERCHE' pwithin a housing similarly hinged over the fitnessesz opposite sideopening, a counter-pressure y HENRY HAsPER,

roller protected by a housing projecting into VOLDEMAR HAUPT.

